Perfecting your video CTA

As any experienced marketer knows, a call to action is an integral part of a successful marketing message. However, getting the right CTA can be a difficult task . If you don’t design the video just right, the CTA can come across as too salesy, which has a tendency to turn prospects off. Video CTAs require a specific chemistry, clarity and pop that text doesn’t. According to Convince and Convert, viewers should be left with a clear idea of what to do at the end of the video. If they’re response is, “Okay, now what?,” you haven’t done your job. Here are some ideas for nailing the CTA in your animated videos:

Know your CTA from the start
Before you even start scripting the video, you should have a very clear idea of what you want your video to do. In fact, this action should really be the impetus for creating the video in the first place. Begin the video production process by getting your team together and determining what the purpose of your video will be. What will it accomplish? Ideally, what will it make the viewer want to do, even in the absence of a clear CTA? The CTA statement is the frosting on the cake, but the entire video should be leading the viewer toward this conclusion by engaging them in a story. Ask yourself – how will you be measuring the success of your video? Design your CTA based on the results you want.

Keep the CTA very simple
If your video is clear enough, you may not even need to state something like, “Visit us online to learn more.” Today’s viewers are pretty savvy. If you include a URL at the end of your video, most people will understand that they can go online to learn more, or sign up. For instance, This is the tactic Chipotle used in its video “The Scarecrow.” Viewers get caught up in the protagonist’s story as he navigates an environment where food production has become very distant from the farms that once created it. The animated video presents an engaging environment, which further pulls us in through the use of a song from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” inviting us into a magical world. At the end, the video zooms out to reveal that this world is captured on an iPad screen, and then a button pops up that says, “Available in the App Store.”

The key is engagement
The CTA doesn’t have to be complicated, as long as it exists in some capacity. Make sure viewers know where to go. What you really need to do is craft a video that people will want to watch all the way to the end. Tell a story that people can relate to, and be creative with visuals and graphics. It doesn’t have to be overly promotional. If you’ve created a good enough video, viewers will feel compelled to visit the link you provide.

Perfecting your video CTA was last modified: February 25th, 2015 by Brandon Houston